Has anyone head about what happened yesterday.
About 20 miles away from Columbine High, another High school (Platt High) had a hostage situation. At around noon a man went into the school, took 6 girls as hostages and told police he had a bomb somewhere inthe school. 5 of the girls got released,and unfortunately as of 6 pm last night the 6th girl died in the hospital.
I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the situation, like why the man did this, I went to bed before the evening edition came on the news.
2006-09-28 07:39:55 · 6 answers · asked by danksprite420 6 in News & Events ➔ Current Events
DENVER - Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener confirmed Thursday what 9NEWS had learned from sources close to the investigation.
Gunman's stepmother speaks with 9NEWS
The gunman in Wednesday's hostage-shooting was 53-year-old Duane R. Morrison.
These sources told 9NEWS Morrison is a transient who lived in Park County for some time during 1999. Morrison had an arrest record dating back 30 years and was most recently arrested Lakewood and booked into Jefferson County jail in July 2006.
Police are urging anyone with additional information about this case to contact the tip line at 303-816-5947. They believe he was camping or frequenting the area in recent days and are hopeful that someone may have more information.
Wegener elaborated on the difficult decision to send in the SWAT unit.
"My decision was to either wait, possibility of having two dead hostages. Or act to try and save what I feared he would do to them," said Wegener.
Wegener also confirmed two details about assaults on the hostages and the weapons involved.
Hostage assaults were reported late Wednesday evening.
"We have confirmed he did traumatize and assault our children. This was the information being fed to me from the SWAT team," said Wegener. "This is why I made the decision I did. We had to go try and save them."
Wegener said the assaults were sexual in nature. He did not release any other details.
Additionally, he spoke about the weapons involved saying, "I do know now that when they did remove the body, early this morning, he did have two weapons. He had a semi-auto pistol and he had a revolver." He would not speak about the back pack which was a cause of concern as Morrison had claimed to have a bomb. Sources close to the investigation told 9NEWS that Morrison's back pack was full of sexual devices.
Morrison is suspected of entering Platte Canyon High School Wednesday before noon and taking six female students hostage. Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said, "There are no known connections, in this area, but the investigation is still ongoing there."
There were initially six female hostages, but four were released.
The Park County Sheriff's office says the hostages were released one at a time as they negotiated with the gunman. However, he broke off negotiations at 3:30 p.m. and set a deadline of 4 p.m.
"It was then decided that a tactical solution needed to be done in an effort to save the two hostages that were in the room," said Wegener.
"He gave us a four o'clock deadline, said something was going to happen at four o'clock," said Wegener.
The hostage situation ended when the SWAT unit raided the classroom. The Park County Sheriff's office says the gunman fired a handgun at SWAT officers before killing Keyes and shooting and killing himself.
Keyes was one of two female students being held hostage in the classroom.
The other student was not injured and she was pulled from the room during the SWAT raid.
Keyes was transported from the school to St. Anthony Central in Denver by Flight for Life and died around 4:30 p.m.
Keyes was a 16-year-old junior at Platte Canyon and had a twin brother.
About 770 students attend Platte Canyon High School and Fitzsimons Middle School combined.
The students were evacuated to Deer Creek Elementary School, where parents could go and pick them up.
Classes at both Platte Canyon High School and Fitzsimons Middle School are cancelled for Thursday and Friday.
Crisis counselors will be available at Deer Creek Elementary School. Counseling will also begin at 7 a.m. Thursday at the Platte Canyon Community Church in Bailey.
"Because of the senseless action of a lone gunman, we are grieving tonight," said Wegener.
Wegener says his own son was in the school when the hostage situation began and he was scared to death. "We never expect it will happen in our own back yard," said Wegener.
2006-09-28 07:49:37 · answer #1 · answered by RIA 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I remember right after Columbine, my high school banned guns in students' cars in the parking lot (hunting after school is a common practice in NW Montana). I wonder what they will do now.
Knowing that I and my trusted friends would be left at the mercy of any psycho who decided to break that gun-ban, I felt much less safe throughout the rest of high school.
2006-09-28 08:08:41 · answer #2 · answered by A Box of Signs 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YEAH I DID ..i cant believe that was crazyyy....it got me so sad it reminded me of columbine high shool massacre...damn ppl r so sick now days!
2006-09-28 15:23:04 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
See a news story at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060927/ts_alt_afp/usschoolhostage_060927224540
2006-09-28 07:42:54 · answer #4 · answered by dontknow 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Another "sicko" strikes again.
2006-09-28 08:41:53 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was pretty horrible. I choose to blame Jesus.
2006-09-28 07:48:41 · answer #6 · answered by Ryan Seacrest 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋